Friday, September 14, 2007

Ellen and Nicola entered this competition. Here are their entries. Good luck girls.

NICOLA

Dear whoever finds this,

My name is Anne Frank and I am nearly 16. My family was hiding in an old Amsterdam warehouse during the second World War because we are Jewish. Now that I have been arrested, all I can do is pray for other Jews that they will not reach this fate which has fallen upon me.An epidemic of typhus has spread throughout this concentration camp, but I am no longer scared for myself, but for Margot, who fell ill this morning. I hope, hope, hope she hasn't caught typhus.My heart breaks when I think what might have happened to dear Peter.Tears fill my eyes when I think of Mumsie. Although I could never confide in her, there was a small spot at the bottom of my heart for her. To think that we never even made up! Even Mr Dussel and the van Daans. What became of them? What will become of me and Margot?Maybe some day, with the help of you, this letter can be published for all to see.Oh Pim! If you are still alive, please publish my diary, for I don't think I will ever escape and be proud to be Jewish again.No. I will never be free again.

Yours, Anne M Frank.

ELLEN

Dear Anne FrankMy name is Ellen. I am 11 years old and live in New Zealand. War still haunts this planet but luckily not in my country. I have read your diary and am astonished by your living conditions and what happened to you. The year is 2007, 60 years after your diary was first published by your father. So many people have read your diary. I wonder what might have happened if you hadn’t been found by the Nazis. You might want to know what happened in the war. Hitler lost because he shot himself (or so it was said). Your concentration camp was freed a month after you passed away. At least now you are with your mother, father, Margot and Peter Van Pels. I have an older sister too so I know what it like!!! .I can’t stop thinking how young you were when you died far far too young. I bet the suffering and pain was agonising especially when Margot wasn’t with you anymore. You are no longer suffering and are free of fear. I am not Jewish but I am Christian so we believe in the same god. I have three cats at home (Arnold, T.C and Tiger) and I know how they can cheer you up any time!!!

Thank you for reading my letter

Your sincerely Ellen

NICOLA

Dear Anne,

My name is Nicola and I am writing to describe to you our world today. (2007.) A lot of things have changed since your time. The second world war ended in 1945. Although it was meant to be a war to end all wars, there have been a few smaller wars since then, in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and other various parts of the world.These days, a huge threat to the world is terrorism. Islamic militants have carried out random acts of terrorism in different places such as London, Bali (Indonesia) and parts of Africa. Some of these bombings have been suicide bombings, where the bombers have been prepared to kill themselves too. An example of this happened a few years ago when some planes were hijacked and the pilots flew into the Twin Towers – two extremely tall, strong towers in New York. Hundreds of people were killed.Planes are much bigger now. Our normal, everyday ones usually seat a few hundred people. We call them jumbo jets.One issue of our world today is global warming. We use so many products that aren't environmentally friendly these days, that the earth is heating up. Ice from the Arctic and Antarctica is gradually melting or breaking off and drifting away. This will cause the sea level to rise, and low-lying places could get covered by sea. Fortunately, people have noticed, and some people are doing something about it.Another issue is poverty. In many poor countries, children go without many of the things we take for granted. Some do not get enough food or even clean water to drink. To help, World Vision (a charity organisation) sets up a 40 hour or 20 hour famine each year. Young people across the country go without food for 20/40 hours and ask their neighbours, friends and relations to sponsor them some money. It raises a lot of money for the children.I live in New Zealand, and am very lucky to do so. New Zealand is a peaceful country. On April 25th, New Zealanders remember our soldiers that died in the World Wars. We call this day Anzac Day.I go to Bucklands Beach Intermediate School, and for reading, we read your diary. I admire your bravery during the time you were hiding in the Secret Annexe. It must have been really scary! While we were reading your diary, we each got a task to do about what we had read, then we reported back to our reading group in a literature circle, where we discussed the story. One of my jobs as a correspondent was to write a letter from one character to another. I chose to put myself in your shoes, and write a letter from you to whoever found it. I pretended that you were writing it in the concentration camp, when you knew that you would never be free again. My teacher thought the letter was well written, so I have enclosed it for you to read.

Who Are We?

The contributors to this blog are a group of Y7 (aged 10-11) students from Bucklands Beach Intermediate School in New Zealand.
As we meet in our literature circle, we will discuss and debate points from different perspectives. All our work will then be posted into this blog.
The entries are posted by a teacher, but the blog articles are completely written by the students.
Please feel free to comment, we love to get feedback.